Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: New Friends 'EGELER kept his word. With a beaming countenance he appeared at Beethoven's house the next evening and exultantly said: " I have succeeded. Congratulate yourself, friend Ludwig! I shall introduce you this evening to a family with whom you will feel perfectly at home." " And what kind of a family might that be ? " said Beethoven, distrustfully. "You know I am not adapted to all the world, and that all the world is not adapted to me." " But this family is in no way of the character which you so sweepingly apply to the world," replied Wegeler. "You will find it a model of the noblest sociality and a place where art and science are most zealously cherished. It is the family of the widow, Frau Hofrathin von Breuning,1 to which I have permission to introduce you." 1 Frau von Breuning was the widow of the electoral counsellor von Breuning. The family consisted of three sons and a daughter, Eleonora, who for some time was a pupil of Beethoven, and eventually married Dr. Wegeler. Beethoven dedicated his first variations for the piano to her. " Ah! the Frau Hofrathin von Breuning," cried Ludwig, with a perceptibly brighter countenance. " Truly that is something different from what I mean by ' all the world.' I have heard of this family. They are lovely people." " The best in the world, Ludwig," eagerly protested Wegeler. " So hasten. Get yourself in readiness. They are expecting us immediately." " I am already dressed," replied Beethoven, haughtily. " I have no other coat than this threadbare one. If they won't have me in this, they shall not have me at all." " Unruly, stubborn, cross-grained fellow that you are!" exclaimed Wegeler, with a laugh. " Will you never learn to master your capricious nature ? Come along even in your threadbare coat. These dear... --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.